Situation / Challenge

Xceedium is a leading provider of privileged identity management (PIM) solutions for hybrid cloud enterprises. Xceedium’s technology was disruptive and more advanced than its competitors’. But, because PIM was still an emerging technology category, the company was combatting low brand recognition in a crowded cybersecurity marketplace with bigger and louder players.

Xceedium turned to Sage to bolster its brand recognition with aims of increasing visibility, growing its market share, and positioning the company as a high-value acquisition target. The company tasked Sage with launching Xceedium as a leader in PIM and differentiating it from competitors — first in the federal marketplace, and then in the private sector. 

Approach

Sage worked with Xceedium to develop a simplified value proposition, with talking points for ongoing business development, customer engagement, stakeholder engagement, and media outreach.
 
Sage deployed an issues-focused public relations campaign designed to establish Xceedium as a thought leader. We approached commercial and public-sector audiences to educate them on insider threat issues, the need for PIM, and the much-watched federal Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program. With the rise of high-profile data breaches and cyber attacks, Sage proactively monitored breaking news and seized news-jacking opportunities to position the company’s executives as industry cybersecurity experts. Sage also pursued opportunities to elevate Xceedium’s profile as a “company to watch” through corporate success and leadership coverage, speaking engagements at industry associations and industry award nominations. 

Results

Sage secured hundreds of media hits, propelling Xceedium into the spotlight of high-profile business, technology, federal, global, broadcast and mainstream media outlets. Our hits included AP, CSO, USA Today, BBC, Entrepreneur Magazine, Los Angeles Times, BBC, Ars Technica, eWeek, Government Executive, SIGNAL, Network World, WBJ, ABC News, and Federal News Radio. Sage also secured Xceedium’s position in the Red Herring Top 100.  

Sage went on to serve as a public-sector transition advisor to Xceedium during its acquisition by CA Technologies, protecting and transferring Xceedium’s brand equity to CA as a thought leader on federal cybersecurity policy and IT modernization. Sage exceeded the annual goal of Tier 1 federal and enterprise tech opportunities by 119 percent. 

Coverage